Milwaukee

The frustration, concern and good intentions that impelled Milwaukee educators to try a new kind of segregation for black schoolboys is understandable, but their final solution is not. Noting that many inner-city youth lack fathers at home and that some succumb to the lure of street gangs, Milwaukee's educators think the answer is to segregate the boys in "African American Immersion" schools keyed to a black male perspective. That seems like less of an answer than an exercise in isolation.

They talk about the trade every day. The Royals' success is introducing them to a new and much bigger audience, so there are a hundred stories being retold to people who never paid much attention before. That means Alex Gordon's bumpy road to stardom. Salvador Perez's emergence as the American League's premier catcher. Yordano Ventura and his 102 mph fastball. And, every day, questions about the trade. It is talked about enough that we should probably call it The Trade, capital letters, and the impact of acquiring James Shields and Wade Davis is obvious to anyone who watches this team.

The Chicago Soul broke an 8-8 tie late in the fourth quarter and upset the visiting Blast, 13-8, on Friday night. Carlos Farias scored a 3-point goal at 12:49 to put Chicago up, then Matt Stewart put the game away at 14:51. Pat Healey had tied the score at 8 at 7:28 of the quarter. The Blast's only lead came when Adauto Neto, playing in his 100th game for the team, put Baltimore up 2-0 in the second quarter. The Blast (12-3) will play today at 5 p.m. at Milwaukee (10-2) in a showdown for first place.

Calvert Hall outfielder Troy Stokes was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Friday afternoon. Stokes went 116th overall. He was an All-Metro first-team selection this season, and batted .325 with four doubles and three home runs for the No. 4 Cardinals. Asked what his initial reaction was upon hearing the news, Stokes said: “Just a big smile.” Stokes is committed to play at Maryland next season. He said on Friday that he's not ready to comment on whether he'll go to school or head to the minor leagues, adding that he will make his decision within the next couple of days with the help of his family.

Even though the Blast already clinched the Eastern Division regular season title, there was much at stake in Saturday night's game against Milwaukee, most notably an outside shot at home field advantage throughout the postseason and added confidence against a team that might be their biggest roadblock to winning the MISL championship. The Blast responded, as Machel Millwood got his second hat trick of the season, paving the way for a 17-13 victory before announced 9,644 at 1st Mariner Arena . With three games remaining in its regular season, the Blast (15-6)

MILWAUKEE -- When Sal Bando retired after the 1981 season, few people in baseball pictured him stepping into a gray suit complete with suspenders and sliding behind a front-office desk.Yet here he is, the rookie general manager on a team with a rookie manager, catcher and shortstop that suddenly has challenged the leaders in the American League East.The accepted blueprint after his playing days were over called for Bando to stay in uniform, moving from third base to the dugout as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.

WASHINGTON - As Washington Wizards coach Doug Collins saw it, his team's task for last night was to keep the jump-shot happy Milwaukee Bucks from congregating around the arc and launching three-pointers all night. The Wizards mostly got that accomplished, allowing the Bucks to hit just three of 15 bonus shots, but Washington's porous interior defense let the Bucks score at practically every important moment, as Milwaukee grabbed an 85-82 victory at MCI Center. The Bucks, who got a combined 11 points from their starting power forward and center, nonetheless pounded Washington inside, outscoring the Wizards 36-20 in the paint.

It turns out learning on the go has Milwaukee Wave forward Matt Tirschman insistent on staying put. When the 25-year-old Baltimore native went to Milwaukee three years ago, Wave coach Keith Tozer - no ifs, ands, or buts - slotted him at the target forward position. So there is Tirschman, stationed in front with his back to the goal, fending off defenders to find his offense, and finding it all very well. "Most of the time, I'm going up against guys who are bigger than me, so it's probably one of the most physical areas to play.

MILWAUKEE -- The summer game is infringing on fall now. The temperature at County Stadium was a crisp 47 degrees when Milwaukee's Brian Givens delivered the first pitch last night.The players also had to deal with a stiff wind during batting practice, and before the game, they dug into the equipment trunk containing the team's winter parkas."It wasn't that bad this afternoon, during early batting practice," said manager Phil Regan, "when you worked up a sweat. But when the sun goes down -- whew."

MILWAUKEE - There may never have been a better opportunity for the Blast to catch the Major Indoor Soccer League-leading Milwaukee Wave on an off-day. Coming off a loss Saturday night in Kansas City, the Wave had a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call and flew back to Milwaukee yesterday morning, just in time for the 1:05 p.m. start. Meanwhile, the Blast came in well-rested having arrived in town a day in advance. But none of that mattered. Dewan Bader, Tarik Walker, Danny Kelly and P.J. Wakefield scored goals, and Sean Bowers had two assists, but the Blast missed numerous chances and lost, 13-8, before 6,206 at the Bradley Center.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is not in the starting lineup for the second straight game nursing groin stiffness, but manager Buck Showalter said Machado could be available off the bench this afternoon. “[He's] gonna move around a little bit between now and game time, see where we are with it,” Showalter said of Machado. “But I feel good that we may have caught this in its infancy, so to speak, and that he'll hopefully be a full-go player here shortly.” -- Even though he was optioned before Friday's game, right-hander Preston Guilmet is still here on the 24-hour taxi squad and is expected to be recalled when first baseman Chris Davis goes on paternity leave.

- Newly named to head Baltimore's public schools, Gregory E. Thornton has unfinished business in the district he is leaving behind after 31/2 tumultuous years. Wearing a red T-shirt, he arrived Friday at a school where, to peals of laughter, the 59-year-old would join kids in a "jump rope-a-thon. " But, as so frequently happened during his tenure, there were political hoops to jump through first. "How are we doing?" Thornton asked a state senator he spied in the welcoming crowd.

Gregory E. Thornton, the superintendent of Milwaukee's public schools, was named on Tuesday the next CEO of the Baltimore City school system. Thornton, 59, who was in the running for Baltimore superintendent in 2007 when Andrés Alonso was hired, has roots in Philadelphia, where he was the No. 2 school official. He also has worked in the Montgomery County public school system in Maryland. While being introduced at an event Tuesday, Thornton said he felt that he has strong roots in Maryland, and he plans to stay as long as the board keeps him. "This is coming home," he said.

The Orioles are in continuing negotiations with free-agent right-hander Bronson Arroyo, according to an industry source. They are not the only serious suitor, however, as the sweepstakes for Arroyo appears to be nearing a close. The 36-year-old, who was 14-12 with a 3.79 ERA in 32 starts with the Cincinnati Reds last year, is one of several high-profile starters still available on the market. It was believed that Arroyo, who turns 37 later this month, was seeking a three-year deal, but he seems to have softened that stance.

The Blast defense and goalie William Vanzela made life very tough for the Rochester Lancers on Saturday. Rochester discovered why the Blast came into the matchup as the Major Indoor Soccer League's top defense. Vanzela made 12 saves, and the defense smothered the Lancers offense as the Blast scored a 17-2 victory over Rochester before an announced 6,986 at Baltimore Arena. This victory kept the Blast (10-3) a half game behind the first-place Milwaukee Wave (10-2), which beat the St. Louis Ambush on Saturday.

Blast Saturday Milwaukee Wave (1-0) at Blast (1-0) When: 7:35 p.m. Where: Baltimore Arena Video: MISLNation.com Outlook: The Blast opened defense of its Major Indoor Soccer League championship with a sound 19-8 win at Rochester last Saturday. Next up is its longtime rival Milwaukee Wave, which came from behind to defeat Missouri, 23-21, in its league opener last weekend. Against the Lancers, the Blast scored five goals in the final five minutes of the first half to pull away with Marco Mangione scoring three goals to lead the way. A balanced offense was key in the Blast's championship run last season and was again in the opener as six others also scored.

MILWAUKEE - As if Tuesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers didn't prove the point to the Washington Wizards, the Milwaukee Bucks reinforced the notion that the NBA game is one of runs. The Wizards, who were blistered by two Lakers runs in the first quarter Tuesday, got slammed by a long, first-half Bucks blitz and a shorter one in the fourth quarter that snuffed out a Washington comeback try. The result: a 105-90 Milwaukee win that placed the playoff hopes of the Wizards on life support.

The Blast is in command of its Major Indoor Soccer League semifinal series. Not only did the team ride a prodigious 11-point game by Denison Cabral to a win over Milwaukee last night, but the opening game also sapped the Wave of some key personnel for when the teams meet in Game 2 on Sunday in Wisconsin. After trailing by two points entering a volatile final quarter, the Blast scored seven closing points and won, 13-8, at 1st Mariner Arena. Troy Dusosky, a key component of the Wave's team, exploded with anger as he left the field after drawing a red card in a confrontation with Blast goalie Sagu in the waning minutes.

The Blast completed its 2012-13 regular season with a fundamentally sound stamp of approval Saturday night against the two-time defending Major Indoor Soccer League champion Milwaukee Wave. In a showdown for first place, the Blast defended more closely, scored the bigger goals and blanked the Wave in the fourth quarter to come away with a 10-6 win in front of an announced 6,386 at 1st Mariner Arena . The Blast finishes with a 21-5 record and moves one game in front of the Wave, which falls to 18-4 with four games still to play before the regular season concludes next Sunday.

The Blast has the ideal primer for the upcoming Major Indoor Soccer League playoffs as the team closes out its regular season at 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday - a game against the two-time defending league champion Milwaukee Wave. The rivalry is far and away the best and most intense in the MISL, with all the other franchises too new to have developed any on the same level. And this game - set for 7:35 p.m. - has plenty on the line with the teams tied for first place in the league.